Opera Singer Breaks Down Natlan Symphony || Genshin Impact OST

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[danapratama]

I was climbing a mountain, and I asked the guide how close we were to the top. He responded, "Natlan Live Symphony Performance." I smiled, I knew it was the PEAK.

[thedoctorsilence]

Without question this is musically the best photon of fluctuation I have heard yet. The hoyo-mix team really blew these songs out of the water. I will say I highly respect the mixer who mic'd these instruments so well and found a way for each aspect to shine without conflict.

[KaagKagamine]

It's so emotional to watch a genshin symphony and finally recognize most of the instruments being used

[paulholleger]

On the "singability" of Swahili:

This comes down to the language's phonotactics. Swahili, like Japanese or Hawai'ian, does not permit syllable-final consonants. So every end of a syllable is either a nasal consonant in full isolation, or a vowel. Swahili also has a fairly straightforward 5-vowel system, similar to many Romance languages, but unlike Romance languages, Swahili has absolutely no diphthongs. Because of this, you end up with a whole lot of open vowels to hold, all of which are clear monophthongs, with a few scattered nasal sounds for interest, and relatively few difficult consonant clusters. This lends itself very nicely to singing.

[IbbyMelbourne]

Hey Marco, I know you're still on hiatus, but just wanted to say how much I appreciate what you've done for the Genshin community. Every stream I saw had at least one person in the chat saying they were especially excited for you to hear the music 😁

[enociints]

so many things about this is so beautiful to me. as a mixed African and South American, hearing two of the most beautiful things from both my cultures represented in one made me tear up so bad. I’m also a past choral member, and the choir just made me think back to my choir days when we sang African songs about war and love. Anyway what I’m trying to say is that this was absolutely beautiful to me. I could really feel the music in my soul and the incorporation of the Swahili language and native instruments is one of the characteristics that makes me love Hoyo-Mix and just music in general. The choirs harmony is almost perfect in my ears, their unison strength, they’re all singing the same story, feeling the same emotion and you can hear it, one of my favourite things about choral additions to music in video game.s.

[leokoten]

I agree with you about the motif meaning, it also gives me a "meaning of life" and "responsibility", but also a kinda "long journey" feeling. It's gorgeous.

[tobiasmyhre]

I dont know why, but this is the type of music that makes you love life

[kirkshanghai]

Amazing analysis as always. This felt so different from other genshin music (in a good way) because it has so much pride behind it. It feels like it's telling the stories of everyone who's lived and died for the nation of Natlan. I am so damn excited for hearing Marco's thoughts on the rest of the OST as they do more latin/flamenco type music. Cheers!!

[ultradeduct]

as an indigenous person the natlan main theme (first song) is so incredible to me. many have said it sounds like a national anthem — in my tribe we have an honor song that very much has this sort of comraderie and honor to our people vibe that people describe when they compare it to a national anthem. this sense of honoring the ancestors the now and the descendants is very core to at least my culture and i am aware many other indigenous cultures. so beautiful to hear such a powerful song of victory and perseverance without it defaulting to a harmful "violent" stereotype and rather raising it as glory and respect. while i have my problems with some of natlan's representation the music is NOT one of those things and this carries the aura of remaining forever defiant of oppression that has carried my people and all other indigenous people from the beginning of the "fight" to the present day. the music is magnificent and beautifully done. for what natlan might not have perfectly i adore these songs and the main theme has made a very special place in my heart. i appreciate hoyomix's cultural honoring in music and exposing the world stage to our music which as a child i had many mock to my face. to see something that feels so familiar be given a huge stage on which to survive gives me hope as dramatic as it may sound. music is one thing that survives — to see it have a shelter and place where it will fit for years to come is reassuring to my soul. ❤️

[nauthy]

I personally gasped when I saw a zampoña and a quena in the symphony (the flute with many tubes 8:00 and the long flute, 7:45) because even though it is latin American, we barely have representation in popular media. After 4 years of hearing different cultures influence the releases of these OSTs, I get goosepumps just thinking about what they're going to cook for Natlan. Needless to say that I enjoyed the entire symphony as well as your insights Marco. Greetings from Perú 🇵🇪.

[kasuha]

I think Fontaine was pulling the short end in terms of instrumentation compared to other nations because all the classical european instruments were already used there by default, there was very little left to spice it up with without deviating significantly from the theme and period that was being represented. So yeah they added accordion and glass instruments and harpsichord and a few others but we're all so used to all of them that it did not sound any special, unlike when traditional wind, string, or percussion instruments of other nations are added.
I loved the Natlan symphony a lot. I think the composers of Hoyo-Mix have proved themselves with it and I can't wait for the actual patch to experience the music in the game.

[derfslind]

Ah yes Swahili, the language that made "Hakuna Matata" popular

[iamdino]

To me that motif at the start feels like the moment before death; being suddenly in tune with the world, your emotions and memories and giving a fond goodbye to it all.

The entire Natlan piece is super hopeful and inspiring, but in the lyrics and the harmonies it's filled with so so so much death. It's so mournful. It gives me a "night before the war" vibe, just reflecting on the futility and beauty of life as you're about to lay it down, but underlied by the massive, violent strength associated with Natlan and the pyro element. I've had sub-zero expectations for this region honestly, but after listening to the symphony I just hope the story can pull off something deserving of that track

[andytlwang]

I love how the instruments and chorus together brought a sense of undying vigor and positive outlook in a heightened sense of danger/challenge.

[andrewmattar]

I personally don't think that Yu-Peng Chen leaving was the reason why we feel that Fontaine was a step backwards in terms of the music.
The piece that we hear during the X.0 Livestream is usually heavily linked to the archon quest in the story. Fontaine's AQ was emotional and sad and had themes of sacrifice, burden and salvation. So the tune was soft in places, heavy in others and somewhat melancholic. This is why the music in Inazuma hinges on the scary because we are in front of a commanding deity.
Natlan is the nation of war, pyro is also an explosive element. This national anthem like you called it, is supposed to make you fired up, pumped up and ready to go to war to save your land and it does its job perfectly. The music in Genshin Impact ties up perfectly to the main theme of each nation and portrays it as such!
Also, the inclusion of foreign instruments in Liyue and Inazuma music, as well as the mix between different cultures in Sumeru and Natlan music really set the tone for the game and makes it feel like Mondstadt and Fontaine music was a step back. There is much more creativity involved in the making of Sumeru and Natlan's music just because they are marrying different styles of music together with the European style.
Idk if I made sense at all. I am not a music expert and english is not my first language, so, sorry if I sound a bit all over the place.

[itssoccermom]

After hearing it almost every day for the last 4 years, the photon of fluctuation motif, no matter what it’s in, without fail puts a smile on my face. To me, it feels like our own/traveler’s theme, something that has grown with us every region over the past few years. Hearing the vocals behind it in this performance was so unimaginably good. Fontaine is my second favorite nation musically so I’m looking really forward to what the new Hoyo-Mix team has in store for us in Natlan!

[BoitataFHD]

What I feel about Natlan orchestral theme was a musical "Jorney of the Hero". You have the peaceful start, the change, the crescendo and then, the fall, when the hero taste the defeat and goes to the underworld in search of the magical elixir... and then he returns, powerfull and glorious to the final showdown. Which, I believe, it will be the main plot of the Archon Quest in Natlan.

Also, thank you Marco, I'm learning a lot about music with you.

[mihirpagar]

Kinda missed marco's genshins osts analysis. Also respect pronouncing swahili 👌🏽

[filipefealves]

I watched this live and I cried. I watched the video of the performance afterwards and cried. I watched your analisys now and (guess it) I cried too. These are special pieces of music, so powerful and so moving